Golfing aid

ABSTRACT

A device for aiding in the playing of the game of golf, particularly where playing on a sidehill such that the golf ball lies at a level above or below the golfer&#39;&#39;s feet. The device indicates the proper alignment of club and line of swing to compensate for the inclination of the sidehill. The device includes a base formed of pivotally connected members which define a first plane and a pointer element which extends upwardly from the base. When the pointer element is aligned along the line of sight from the ball to the point where the ball is to be hit, an indicator element positioned in the plane of the base lies parallel to the line of swing which will result in a line of flight of the ball along the above mentioned line of sight. The pointer element is adjustable to various marked positions which are functionally related to the lofts of the various club heads used in striking golf balls.

United States Patent Shambaugh 51 July25,1972

[ GOLFING AID Howard G. Shambaugh, 830 Monroe St., River Forest, Ill. 60305 [22] Filed: April 23,1971

[21] Appl.No.: 136,717

[72] Inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl ..273/32 R, 273/187 R, 273/186 C, 33/46 G, 35/29 A [51] Int. Cl ..A63b 57/00, A63b 69/36 [58] Field ofSearch ..273/183, 186, 187, 32, 35; 33/46 G; 35/29 A [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,790,642 4/1957 Rolfe ..273/187 R 3,293,755 12/1966 Cronwell. ..273/32 R X 3,408,076 10/1968 Carboni ....273/l86 R 3,561,764 2/1971 Thomas ...273/183 A 3,604,711 9/1971 Hansburg ..273/183 R Primary Examiner-George .1. Marlo Attorney-Fitch, Even, Tabin & Luedeka [5 7] ABSTRACT A device for aiding in the playing of the game of golf, particularly where playing on a sidehill such that the golf ball lies at a level above or below the golfers feet. The device indicates the proper alignment of club and line of swing to compensate for the inclination of the sidehill. The device includes a base formed of pivotally connected members which define a first plane and a pointer element which extends upwardly from the base. When the pointer element is aligned along the line of sight from the ball to the point where the ball is to be hit, an indicator element positioned in the plane of the base lies parallel to the line of swing which will result in a line of flight of the ball along the above mentioned line of sight. The pointer element is adjustable to various marked positions which are functionally related to the lofts of the various club heads used in striking golf balls.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures LINE OF S ROKE PATENTEDJuus m2 H m M w s M F M A a m a H w m u E W 3% m I w NHL L A m u FIG.4

ATTYS,

GOLFING AID The present invention relates to a device for aiding the golfer, and, more particularly, the invention relates to a device for determining the proper club alignment and line of swing for a golf ball where the ball lies on a sidehill.

There are four lies in which a golf ball may be above or below the level of the golfers feet when he addresses the ball for his swing. Two of such lies are where the ground slopes toward or away from the direction in which the ball is to be hit. The other two lies are where the ground slopes at right angles to the direction in which the ball is to be hit, oftentimes called sidehill lies, and it is the sidehill lies toward which the present invention is particularly directed.

It is a common but mistaken belief of those not thoroughly familiar with the game that where the ball is on a sidehill lie on an upslope relative to a right-handed golfer and the ball is hit directly toward the hole or a selected intermediate point, the ball hooks, i.e., the ball acquires a counterclockwise spin which causes it to curve toward the golfers side of the hole, and that where the ball is on a downslope, the ball slices because it acquires a clockwise spin. Although it is of course possible to impart a spin to the ball on a sidehill lie, the ball will nevertheless depart from its intended line of flight even if it does not acquire any spin unless compensation is made. Because the ball leaves the club face at right angles to the plane of the face, and because the plane of the club face is not perpendicular to the line of sight to the hole unless the ball is on a level lie, the ball will leave the club face at an angle to the line of sight to the hole if the ball is either uphill or downhill from the golfers feet. This can be visualized by imagining a situation where the ball is attached to a vertical wall at the height of a golfers shoulders. If the ball were to be struck by a golf club in this position it is obvious that the ball, instead of going in a direction parallel to the wall, would go away from the wall, and at an angle from the wall which is related to the loft of the club with which it is struck. This is, of course, an extreme example, but it should serve to illustrate the problem presented when a ball lies uphill from the golfers feet. The opposite effect would, of course, be obtained if the ball lay downhill from the golfers feet.

Expert golfers are aware that where the ball lies on a sidehill, the club should not be lined up directly toward the hole or an intermediate selected point. They employ experience and intuition to use a stance, club alignment and line of swing which compensates for the sloping surface and the loft of the particular club used.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved golfing aid for use where the ball is on an uphill or downhill lie from the golfers feet.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved golfing aid for use where the ball is on an uphill or downhill lie from the golfers feet which will indicate the correct compensation for the inclination of the hill and also for the loft of the particular club being used.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of one embodiment of a golf aid means in accordance with the present invention in place on a lie where the ball is uphill from a right-handed golfers feet;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the golf aid means of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the golf aid means; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional elevational view of the golf aid means taken along the line 44 in FIG. 2.

Very generally, and with reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a golf aid means or device in accordance with the present invention is designated by the reference numeral and is illustrated in the position in which it is employed on a sidehill lie when a shot is to be made approaching the green. The device permits the golfer to determine the proper line of swing to direct a golf ball 12 toward the hole 14. By using the device 10, the golfer can determine the required quantitative compensation for his swing for the degree of slope of the surface and for the loft of the particular club which is to be used to reach the hole. In this manner, the guess work heretofore used by golfers to compensate for these factors is eliminated.

As best seen in FIG. 2, one embodiment of the golf aid means or device 10 generally includes a base 20 comprising an indicator 22 and a cross member 23. The indicator 22 and the cross member 23 of the base define a plane, and when the device is disposed on a sloping surface between the ball 12 and the golfers feet the base 20 is disposed at the same angle as the sloping surface.

Extending upwardly from the base 20 at an acute angle thereto is a pointer 24. In the illustrated embodiment the pointer 24 is pivotably attached to a bracket 25 by a rivet 27. The bracket 25 comprises two upstanding disc-shaped plates 29 and 3I which are secured to the indicator 22 of the base 20. The pointer 24 is disposed between the plates 29 and 31. and is pivotable about the rivet 27 into one of several positions which, as subsequently to be described, are functionally related to the loft ofthe particular club with which the ball is hit.

The pointer 24 and the indicator 22 define a second plane which intersects the plane of the base 20 at a right angle. The device 10 is used by placing it on the ground between the ball 12 and the golfers feet. If the device 10 is aligned with respect to the hole 14 so that the indicator 22 is pointed toward the hole 14 parallel to the line of sight from the ball to the hole, the pointer 24 will indicate the line offlight which the ball will take if the ball is struck by a club swung along a line of swing parallel to the line of sight. If the ball is not on a sidehill, i.e., lies at the same level as the golfers feet, the pointer 24 will also point along the line of sight. If, however, the ball is higher than the golfers feet and if no compensation is made therefor, as by changing the line of swing, the pointer 24 will point in a direction to the left of the line of sight, and the line of flight of the ball would be in the same direction as the pointer. The ball would therefore land to the left of the hole 14. Conversely, if the ball 12 is lower than the golfers feet and no compensation is made, the pointer 24 will point in a direction to the right of the line of sight, and the line of flight of the ball would also be to the right of the hole I4.

Thus, the device 10 is useful as a teaching aid in helping the golfer to visualize the line of flight which will result from a sidehill lie if no compensation is made. However, the primary function of the device is to provide a quantitative indication of how much compensation should be made and in what direction. This is accomplished by disposing the device 10 on the ground between the ball 12 and the golfers feet with the pointer 24 aligned along the line of sight to the hole I4. When so disposed, the indicator 22 will indicate the line of swing which should be used to compensate for the sidehill lie of the ball.

It will be apparent that the amount of compensation or correction which should be made is functionally related not only to the slope of the sidehill but also to the loft of the club being used, i.e., the greater the loft of the club, the more compensation or correction is needed. In accordance with the present invention, the acute angle between the pointer 24 and the plane of the base 20 may be selectively adjusted to compensate for the loft of standard clubs. As best illustrated in FIG. 3, one or both of the plates 29 and 31 are provided with calibrated markings 33 which indicate predetermined acute angles between the pointer 24 and the base 20 corresponding to the various clubs. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the calibrated markings 33 are identified by symbols 35 standing for irons 2 through 9 and for a wedge. As shown in FIG. 4, detents 37 are provided on the interior face of one or both of the plates 29 and 31 which provide stops for the pointer 24 at each of the positions corresponding to a particular club number.

The cross member 23 of the base 20 of the illustrated embodiment is secured to the indicator 22 by a rivet 39 which permits the cross member to be folded into parallel relationship with the indicator 22. This results in a more compact package for carrying in the golfers bag, but it should be understood that the base 20 may'also comprise a single piece of generally planar configuration.

In addition to providing the foregoing functions of teaching the inexperienced golfer and providing a quantitative indication of the correction or compensation to be made for sidehill lie, the apparatus of the present invention provides still another function. The pointer 24, when aligned with the line of sight between the ball 12 and the hole 14 (FIG. 1) also indicates the vertical angle at which the ball will rise when stuck by a particular club. Thus, when the ball is behind a shrub, tree, edge of a bunker or the like which presents a vertical obstruction between the ball and the hole, the device can be used to indicate to the golfer which club number should be used in order to clear the obstruction.

Thus, there has been provided a golfers aid which can be used in a variety of ways both for educational purposes and for providing a quantitative indication of corrective or compensatory adjustments to be made to improve a golfers game.

Various of the features of the present invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

A golfers aid for use where playing on a sloping surface such that the golf ball lies at a level above or below the golfers feet, comprising a base defining a first plane, a pointer extending upwardly from said base at an acute angle thereto, said acute angle being functionally related to the loft of the club with which the ball is to be hit, and an indicator disposed parallel to the plane of said base which together with said pointer defines a second plane intersecting said first plane at a right angle, whereby, when the golfers aid is disposed on the sloping surface between the ball and the golfcrs feet and with said pointer aligned along the line of sight from the ball to the point where the ball is desired to be hit, said indicator lies parallel to the line of swing which will compensate for the sloping surface and result in a line of flight of the ball along the line of sight.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising means for adjusting the angular position of the pointer relative to the plane of the base to permit adjustment thereof for clubs having different lofts.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the adjusting means comprises a bracket mounted on said base and having angularly spaced indicia thereon, the angularly spaced indicia respectively corresponding to the loft of various clubs.

4. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the adjusting means comprises detent means for holding the pointer at a selected one of a plurality of angular positions.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the base and pointer members are pivotally interconnected such that the device can be folded to lie in a single plane. 

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 further comprising means for adjusting the angular position of the pointer relative to the plane of the base to permit adjustment thereof for clubs having different lofts.
 3. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the adjusting means comprises a bracket mounted on said base and having angularly spaced indicia thereon, the angularly spaced indicia respectively corresponding to the loft of various clubs.
 4. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein the adjusting means comprises detent means for holding the pointer at a selected one of a plurality of angular positions.
 5. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the base and pointer members are pivotally interconnected such that the device can be folded to lie in a single plane. 